Dieter Zetsche elected 2010 ACEA President

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The  Board  of  Directors  of  ACEA, the Brussels-based European   Automobile  Manufacturers’  Association,  has elected  Dieter Zetsche as its new President. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the  Board  of  Daimler  AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Division, will take  over  from  Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault, on 1 January 2010.

“The  European  automobile  industry is confident to emerge stronger from
the  financial and economic crisis and has defined sustainable mobility a
clear  priority  for  the  near as well as long-term future”, said Dieter
Zetsche,  following  his election by the ACEA Board. “To this respect, we
would  welcome  a positive and constructive outcome of Copenhagen”, added
Zetsche,  referring  to the UN conference on climate change starting next
week.  “Our  industry  is  a  major  contributor to finding and deploying
solutions  in this field. Copenhagen could send the important signal that
partnership is key; partnership between industries, governments, academia
and consumers.”

Apart   from   countering  the  extraordinary  economic  woes,  the  ACEA
priorities   for   2010   remain   confined  in  four  major  categories:
contributing  to  sustainable  mobility, further progress in road safety,
improving   the   regulatory  framework,  and  enhancing  competitiveness
including   progress   in   trade   liberalisation.  “Through  our  trade
association  ACEA,  we  will  continue  to  seek a deep dialogue with all
stakeholders  at  EU  level”,  said  Zetsche. “We look forward to working
closely  with  the newly elected European Parliament and the new European
Commission  in  order  to help maintain a thriving automobile industry in
Europe and strengthen our global technology leadership.”

“Despite  the  challenges  facing  the entire industry, the European car
manufacturers  have  focused  on  strengthening their competitiveness and
investing  in  the  technologies  necessary  for the future of mobility”,
added  Carlos  Ghosn,  reflecting  on his term as President over the past
twelve months. “In both areas, governments and regulators play a decisive
role  in  setting  a  predictable  and  stable operating environment. Our
industry   is   changing  faster  than  at  anytime  in  history,  and  a
collaborative framework is vital for our mutual success.”

About Dieter Zetsche:
Dieter Zetsche has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG
since  December  1998 and is Chairman since January 2006. He is also Head
of  Mercedes-Benz  Cars  Division  which  includes the brands Maybach and
Smart  as  well as AMG and McLaren.  Zetsche, born in Istanbul, graduated
as  an  engineer from the University of Karlsruhe in 1976 and completed a
doctorate  at  the  University  of  Paderborn  in  1982.  Zetsche  joined
Daimler-Benz  AG  in  1976  at  the  research  department  in  Stuttgart.
Subsequent  positions  took  him  to  both  the  commercial  vehicle  and
passenger  car  divisions of the company and entailed postings in Brazil,
Argentina and the United States of America.

About ACEA:
The  European  Automobile  Manufacturers  Association  (ACEA), founded in
1991, represents the interests of the fifteen European car, truck and bus
manufacturers  at  EU  level. The ACEA members are BMW Group, DAF Trucks,
Daimler,  FIAT, Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Jaguar Land Rover,
MAN  Nutzfahrzeuge, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Scania, Toyota
Motor  Europe,  Volkswagen  and  Volvo. They provide direct employment to
more  than  2.3  million  people  and  support another 10 million jobs in
related  sectors.  Annually, ACEA members invest over €20 billion in R&D,
which makes them the largest private investors in R&D in Europe.